LEESBURG, Fla. (March 15, 2022) – Rookie Andrew Loberg of Rocklin, California, caught a five-bass limit Tuesday weighing 22 pounds, 10 ounces to lead the final 10 anglers and advance to the final day of competition at the Stop 2 tournament at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. Loberg narrowly edged the reigning Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, by just 8 ounces.
After starting the day in 31st place, Neal weighed in the largest limit of the event – five bass totaling 27-11 – to vault up the leaderboard into second place. Oklahoma pro Jeff Reynolds also catapulted up the leaderboard, weighing in a limit totaling 27-4 to end the day in third after starting the day in 44th place. Tampa, Florida rookie Christian Greico, who led the tournament after Day 2, fell to 8th with a limit weighing 11-4.
The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume tomorrow morning on Championship Wednesday, where weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the heaviest five-fish weight will earn the top prize of up to $135,000.
“I’m stoked to be fishing Day 4,” Loberg said. “This is the first time I’ve ever made the final day of a four-day event. Usually, it’s always been three days for me. So I’m really excited for tomorrow. The weights are zeroed, everyone is even, and I’m just going to have to go out and fish my hardest and get everything I can get.”
Loberg spent Tuesday fishing in Lake Eustis, targeting postspawn fish in the grass.
“The fishing here really reminds me of Clear Lake, which is my home lake in California,” Loberg said. “There is lots of shallow grass, the tules, and dirty-ish water. I really like targeting postspawn fish and they love going to the grass after they spawn. I found a few areas and I’ve really just capitalized on those and milked them each day. And that has helped, because I’ve learned more and more each day about the spots and what is going on.
“The bites are coming in little spurts,” Loberg continued. “The morning bite each day has been my best deal, especially for the bigger bites. As the day goes on, it’s harder to get multiple bites – it’s kind of one here, one there. But the weather is changing so much, and I fished a lot of different baits today. You kind of almost have to practice in your areas to see how they are going to bite with the changing conditions.”
With just one day of competition left, Loberg is excited at his chances.
“I feel like I’ve learned where the sweet spots are, and if I can figure out a few other baits it could be a good day. I know I’m going to be throwing a big swimbait tomorrow – it’s definitely going to take more than 20 pounds to win, so I really need to capitalize on them in the morning. I’ve put a lot of pressure on that area over the last two days, we’ll see how it holds up.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Andrew Loberg, Rocklin, Calif., 15 bass, 57-11
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 57-3
3rd: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 55-5
4th: Grant Galloway, Houlka, Miss., 15 bass, 52-7
5th: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., 15 bass, 51-6
6th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 15 bass, 49-14
7th: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-11
8th: Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 15 bass, 49-4
9th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 48-4
10th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 48-2
Finishing in 11th through 50th are:
11th: Clark Reehm, Elm Grove, La., 15 bass, 47-13, $11,000
12th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 15 bass, 47-12, $11,000
13th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-8, $12,000
14th: Chase Serafin, White Lake, Mich., 15 bass, 47-7, $11,000
15th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 47-4, $11,000
16th: Lance Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., 15 bass, 47-1, $11,000
17th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 15 bass, 46-14, $11,000
18th: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 15 bass, 46-7, $11,000
19th: Michael Matthee, Centurion, South Africa, 15 bass, 46-0, $11,000
20th: Jimmy Neece Jr., Bristol, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-14, $11,000
21st: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 15 bass, 45-3, $10,500
22nd: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 45-2, $10,500
23rd: Casey Scanlon, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 45-0, $10,500
24th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 44-14, $10,500
25th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 44-12, $10,500
26th: Kerry Milner, Fisher, Ark., 15 bass, 44-8, $10,500
27th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-6, $10,500
28th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 44-5, $10,500
29th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-5, $10,500
30th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 15 bass, 44-2, $10,500
31st: Derrick Snavely, Piney Flats, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-0, $10,000
32nd: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 43-15, $10,000
33rd: Bill McDonald, Greenwood, Ind., 14 bass, 43-13, $10,000
34th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 43-8, $10,000
35th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, 15 bass, 43-6, $10,000
36th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 43-0, $10,000
37th: Steve York, Bronson, Mich., 15 bass, 42-9, $10,000
38th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 15 bass, 42-7, $10,000
39th: Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-7, $10,000
40th: Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., 15 bass, 42-5, $10,000
41st: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 15 bass, 41-15, $10,000
42nd: Laramy Strickland, Bushnell, Fla., 15 bass, 41-15, $10,000
43rd: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 41-2, $10,000
44th: Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 39-9, $10,000
45th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 39-9, $10,000
46th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 14 bass, 39-6, $10,000
47th: Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 15 bass, 37-15, $10,000
48th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 35-14, $10,000
49th: Phillip Dutra, Guntersville, Ala., 14 bass, 35-14, $10,000
50th: Stuart Arthur, Benton, Mo., 15 bass, 35-9, $10,000
Overall, there were 249 bass weighing 716 pounds, 13 ounces caught by the 50 pros Tuesday. The catch included 49 five-bass limits.
https://dev.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/mlf-harris-chain-31522.html
MLF Pro Circuit Archive